Pontifical Council for the Pastoral
Care of Migrants
and Itinerant People

Meeting of Cultures and its impact on Faith and Values of Younger Generation

Opinions and Experiences

Ms Shwetha Joyce Rasquinha

Student delegate for India

It is a great pleasure for me to be able to exchange ideas with you concerning
so vast subject and one so very much of the moment. I come from India a land of
spirituality, philosophy, cradle of religions, and multicultures. Here is a true
example. A Marathi Hindu woman as a president, a Muslim as a vice president, a
sikh Prime minister from a political party lead by Roman catholic Lady, whose
husband was a son of kashmiri pundith. A dalit woman as a speaker of Loksabha.
This is a true cross section of our beloved land!!

Youth today are growing up in a wide range educational, family, faith
experiences and value systems which are definitely different from what it used
to be. Globalization, avenues for education and employment, techno culture have
encouraged the development of multi youth culture and facilitated the spread of
varied cultural practices. We are fully aware of the multicultural world into
which we are fast moving. Culture must be identified as a dynamic entity and not
as static any more. New cultures emerge constantly, existing ones take new
forms, some are preserved forcefully and some even die. Culture stands in
relation to religion. In all known historical cultures, religion has been a
essential element.

Religion plays a vital role either as a foundation of ethical values or atleast
as an influential backing for them. The values that determine human behaviours
are most often either explicitly presented by religious doctrines or strongly
advocated by them. When Christians think of ethics, we generally refer to
respect for the tencommandments.

In India
I see migration at two levels; international and internal wherein internal
migration is at the larger level. The factors encouraging migration are,
inadequate educational infrastructure, recognition of some places as educational
hubs, cheaper education etc, Countries, regions, peoples and communities are
becoming more and more intertwined and interdependent. We can no longer cut
ourselves off.If we focus on the
consequences of multiculturalism we see both positive and negative effects. I
consider as a positive fact that Cultural exchange due to migration of students
contributes to mutual understanding between societies and people. Culture needs
dialogue and dialogue needs culture. Understanding other cultures can prevent
prejudice and hate. Cultural exchange also enriches our own lives by inspiring
new forms of artistic expression and providing fresh insights that broaden our
horizons. Interaction of different faiths has normally generated respect for
each other and even the feeling that to some extent we pursue the same goals.
This is in sharp contrast to the prejudices and intolerance some of them used to
maintain while they remained isolated. More the cultural exchange many have come
to appreciate the students of other religion.

When the cultures meet ethnic identity and cultural heritage are considered as
an asset. Talents of the different communities in this globalized world are
complimentary. A team of students from different cultures can make impossible
things possible.

Inter cultural community living calls for give and take attitude, openness for
self correction, eagerness to learn from each other and contribute without
pretensions. It calls for the understanding of mental make up of other people.
It is true among some students and therefore today meeting of cultures is a
blessing. The foundation of lasting peace will emerge from such youthful and
hopeful encounters. We need to build more bridges than walls. I will not be
wrong if I say studying, living and working with the students of different
cultureshas built bridges.

There is increased spirituality among young people in general and migrant
students in particular, whether they affiliate with the particular religion or
not, including Christianity. They are more interested in spirituality and it is
partly a response to the fragmentation, insecurity felt due to migration, ethnic
differences,globalization,
widening gaps between rich and poor students etc.

Migration of students and Meeting of cultures also entails negative impact.As young students migrate overseas for education and employment many end
up as churchless Christians. Church attendance is often seen rather than a mere
participant of spiritual activities. When the migrant students are not organized
by the church, when they are not in touch with the church personnel’s and become
one with techno culture, and also because of academic demands, faith becomes
more of a private matter. For me faith is to trust and believe. It can be
religious faith and faith in each other. Therefore faith is a relationship too.
This relationship it self is questioned today due to the rat race of life. Faith
hence has become a very superficial affair. Depth dimension is lost. We talk a
lot, there is no depth. We spend lot of time on internet but there is no
reflection, we hear and read
but there is no internalizing of the matter. Lack of depth has affected our
faith.

Level of tolerance among the younger generation no matter with the migrants or
with the youth of host countries is deteriorating. When the migrant students
live outside the family there is reduction in patriarchal power and control over
younger generation. Child is the king of the family. Everything that is asked or
demanded is given because parents feel their young children should be provided
with everything as they are away from the families. All that is done or provided
by the parents is up to or above the expectations of their children. Therefore
the youth today can not accept something that happens below their expectations
and that has resulted in intolerance, running away from home, suicides etc.

Migrant students are always at the receiving end in the host country or state.
The dominant groups of the host countries often make an attempt to insist their
faith on others. This fundamentalism has grown in various forms especially in
the place that I hail from. I often witness Religious intolerance, intolerance
of culture, intolerance of freedom etc.Tensions have arised between youth and adult communities that have not
learned to reconcile their differences.Moral policing, violence, destruction is at rise today.

Value for autonomy has become the need of the younger generation today. We have
greater autonomy than previous generations of youth.Exposure to modern world has closed the minds of youth to communicate
with and to be guided by elders who built the families and communities based on
values. When the students live outside their families, Problems related to
relationship of the opposite sex, pregnancy outside marriage, abortions, intake
of drugs and other substances are often seen. Amsure that the young partners aborting a foetus will lose moral high
ground to condemn violence. A drug addict who violates the sanctity of his mind
and body becomes insensitive to the suffering souls around him.

Paradigm shift has taken place in our youth’s view of life. Education demands
quality, competition with oneself and with others and poor integration with the
hosting countrieshas often
resulted in students gettingless
and less involved in social causes. They are becoming a self centered and silent
generation hooked on to success in career and life. On the face of it may appear
to be a positive development but I suspect it will make us h easy prey to
consumer values a market oriented life Having little space for social concernswhich will corrode our Christian perspectives on faith and morals. Its
matter of prime concern that we should remain rooted in our Christian identity
and culture, because Christian life is incomplete unless we open our hands to
the poor and needy.

Formation of sects and new religious movements is a reaction against secularized
culture and consequences of social and cultural upheavals which have uprooted
traditional religion. In many cases international students are psychologically
wounded or suffer rejection or total isolation in the anonymity.They readily accept a spiritual vision which restores lost harmony,physical and spiritual healing and even a feeling of security. Some sects
are Christian in appearance and some are hostile to Christ and church. Many of
our contemporaries can communicate easily in such groups and experience a
feeling of belonging.

Moral relativism has steadily been
accepted as primary moral philosophy of modern society. Though we are living in
a multicultural society, the ethical standards, morality and positions of right
or wrong are culturally based, therefore subject to persons individual choice. A
thinking that “we can decide what is right for ourselves. You decide what is
right for you, and I will decide what is right for me” according to moral
relativism there is no goodness or badness in the abstract: but it is with in a
specified context. An act may thus be good for one person but bad for another,
or good in one cultural setting but bad in another.

In a multi cultural universities minority student communities often feel
marginalized, discriminated and isolated. Very often youth energy is utilized to
ventilate this discontent in a violent manner. Building harmony in such a
situation isno easytask, but the pursuit of peace and collaboration is no cake walk either.

Excessive faith in science and technology as a solution to all human problems is
a malaise of our age. There are many people who believe in eternal life are just
round the corner. Another few years perhaps, science offers a triumph over
death. Part by partthe whole body can
one day be refreshed. Yet there is no guarantee that this everlasting life may
be peaceful or pleasant without the practice of faith and values. Meeting of
cultures due to globalization, modernization, communication, social networking
shouldn’t be a challenge to the practice of faith and just values. Youth of
today benefit from an increase in contacts between the cultures but they also
suffer from pressures of a powerful trends. Great sensitivity from the religious
and laity superiors can work wonders in this multi cultural era. Thank you.